Abstract: A system for automatically fixing information bearing labels to randomly delivered articles includes: a transport for the articles; a sensor for detecting the articles as they are moved by the transport; a label source for providing labels when articles are detected; and a label transfer wheel driven at a uniform rate for fixing labels from the source to the articles. The label transfer wheel has a cylindrical surface, a stationary chamber communicating with a vacuum source, and a plurality of holes on the surface which periodically communicate with the chamber to pneumatically hold labels as they are transferred from the label source to the articles.

Abstract: Method for producing a permanent link between two optical fibers, for example by welding or cementing, according to which the two fibers are previously aligned, arranging them in the channel formed between three parallel cylindrical steel rods clamped against each other.

Abstract: A plastic container is provided with a plastic bead seal at the junction of the interlocking fastener and the side edges of the container. The plastic bead seal acts as a barrier to the passage of fluids or contaminating bacteria through the fastener at this junction. A method and apparatus are provided for flowing plastic under heat and pressure into and across the junction to form the bead seal barrier.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for the manufacture of laminated packing material containing at least one layer of a metal foil, e.g., aluminum foil, and a layer of plastic material applied to the said metal foil. The invention also concerns an apparatus for the realization of the method for the manufacture of laminated packing material.

Abstract: A label transfer wheel includes a cylindrical structure having an annular cavity extending into a side thereof; an axially extending hole engageable by a rotary drive; and two circular series of holes, each hole extending radially from the cylindrical surface of the structure to a cylindrical surface bounding the cavity. A plate rotatably coupled to the structure generally covers the cavity and includes a port adapted for connection to a vacuum source. The plate is coupled to a pair of devices located within the cavity, each of the devices having a polyurethane foam seal which is in abutment with the bottom boundary of the cavity and a section of the cylindrical surface bounding the cavity to provide, in combination with the plate, a fluid tight chamber coupling the port to arcuate sets of holes of the series of holes. The devices are movable with respect to each other to permit varying the size of the chamber and the number of holes communicating therewith.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a side weld plastic bag manufacturing machine. The machine having a pair of drive rollers adapted to drive folded plastic toward a heat seal roller and a heat seal bar which is continuously rotated to engage the folded plastic and to seal at spaced positions. Means is provided to operate the heat seal bar and the heat seal roller at a rate common to that of the drive rollers, and further means is provided for quickly rotationally advancing the heat seal bar and the seal roller at a higher rotational rate than the drive rollers to separate the plastic at its welded portion from the surface of the heat seal roller while held between the drive rollers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of continuously producing a cellular structure wherein plies of flexible sheets are fed under tension, one through a glue station wherein precisely aligned longitudinal lines of adhesive are applied to a first face of one of the plies which are then adhered along said lines, followed by passing the resultant adhered plies as a web through a second station under tension where precisely aligned longitudinal lines of adhesive are applied to an exterior web face, and such web then fed as a continuous loop to intermittent web drive means. The web is intermittently fed into a cutting zone in precise increments and sheared to form successive strips that are forced into an assembly zone where the strips are adhered together to form an expandable cellular structure suitable for direct expansion and use as a honeycomb core. The loop provides a preformed unrestrained surge section ahead of the intermittent feed to accommodate in such section.

Abstract: An apparatus for homogeneously joining together the cut surfaces of a seag ring of elastic material, which has been cut open radially on one side, particularly for stern tube seals in ships, utilizing a body member and segment provided with apertures corresponding to the contours of the sealing ring and utilizing clamping means for fastening the ends of the sealing ring, the cut surfaces of which have been provided with an adhesive, the body member receiving the ends of the divided sealing ring being made in the form of a shaped body divided in the radial direction of the sealing ring, with its parts being relatively movable towards and away from one another in a substantially tangential direction.

Abstract: A cylindrical, cup-shaped, porous, sintered powdered metal filter is sealed in a tubular thermoplastic fitting (e.g., the needle-retaining hub of a hypodermic needle or an adaptor or a connector in the line of an intravenous infusion set) by force-fitting the open end of the filter within an annular bead on the interior wall of the tubular fitting and induction heating the filter so that the thermoplastic bead will flow into the pores of the filter to form a continuous ring seal between the filter and the interior wall of the fitting.

Abstract: Hand tool for distributing and applying adhesive tape fed from a tape roll, omprising a handgrip, at least a first and a second support plate or bracket parallel to and spaced from each other and fixed to the handgrip, means for applying and means for retaining the free end of the tape, mounted on said plates or brackets, the tape roll being at least in part freely housed between said first and said second plate and being stopped from coming out by the retaining action of said retaining means, which lock the free end of the tape.

Abstract: The invention is apparatus for laying film in wrinkle-free fashion on a flat surface. A protective film is automatically laid down on a flat rigid vacuum support plate capable of having an image bearing transparency thereon when the instant invention traverses the rigid support plate in one pass in one direction. A photosensitive material and a backing material may then be subsequently supplied to the rigid support plate upon a second pass in the reverse direction to provide a photopolymer plate which may be exposed through a transparency covered by said first film. The resulting photopolymer plate having hardened relief image areas may then be further treated to provide a printing plate.

Abstract: A process for joining objects, such as wooden boards, by means of a cement adapted to be hardened in an electric high-frequency field between a pair of electrodes, wherein the section of the objects situated between the electrodes is sealed off by means of a suitable layer of resilient material pressed against the surfaces of the objects to prevent steam and ionized gases from escaping from the objects to the surrounding space, thereby permitting a substantial increase of the electric energy applied without risk of spark discharge between the electrodes. The invention also provides a device for performing this process, comprising a pair of electrodes provided with a layer of such resilient material.

Abstract: Contoured end structures are disclosed for trim strips of the character particularly suited for mounting on an automobile to provide protective and decorative interior or exterior trim for the vehicle. The end structures have various configurations and are produced by removing a portion of the trim strip material between side portions thereof to define V-shaped notches or recesses and then deforming the remaining portions of the trim strip adjacent the recess to close the recess and bring laterally opposite edges thereof into juxtapositional relationship. The juxtaposed edges are then bonded by heat sealing to complete the forming operation.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn cooperates with a cutting wheel and two stitching wheels to simultaneously cut, seal and stitch thermoplastic material. The cutting and stitching wheels are urged towards the ultrasonic horn by a spring biased pivot arm upon which the wheels are rotatably mounted. The combination of ultrasonic horn, wheels and pivot arm define a cutting assembly. The entire cutting assembly is connected to the reciprocating rod of a piston which alternately lowers the cutting assembly into a cutting position wherein the material to be cut is located between the horn tip and the wheels, and raises the cutting assembly into a return position wherein the material to be cut is below and out of contact with the cutting assembly.

Abstract: An assembly or apparatus for smoothing and removing bubbles of air or a solvent, such as water, for example, from between the transfer films of decals and the upwardly disposed surfaces of dish-like articles such as pieces of dish-like pottery ware, glass or glassceramic ware or the like to whose upper surfaces the transfer films have been applied as by hand or by a decal applying apparatus such as is well known in the art. The assembly comprises at least one stellate, stelliform, or star-like wheel including a plurality of rays or radial fingers of a resilient material such as rubber, for example, and the wheel or wheels are actuated and rotated so that the tips of the rays or fingers move across the transfer film, applied on a surface of a dish-like article, with a wiping or brushing squeegee-like action or operation to smooth the film and remove bubbles entrapped between the film and such surface of the article.

Abstract: A plywood product utilizing a core panel produced from plywood strips salvaged from edge trim produced by conventional trimming operations during plywood production. The trim strips, having parallel side edges, are laid up side by side and edge glued to produce a flat core panel. Outer layers of veneer are glued at each side of the core panel to produce a resulting thick plywood structure suitable for building purposes. The method comprises the production of the strips, the composing of the strips into panels, and the final step of gluing veneers at each face of the core panel to produce a plywood product of greater thickness than most conventional plywood.

Abstract: An apparatus for laying down a strip of flexible tape from a roll supply including an elongated dispensing portion adapted to dispense the tape from a distal end thereof so as to lay down the tape on a subjacent surface by a rearward movement of the apparatus with the dispensed portion of the tape being held to the surface.

Abstract: An adhesive dispensing and applying device is disclosed suitable for applying lengths of adhesive onto an article from a convolutely wound roll of transfer adhesive disposed on a liner and convolutely wound about a core. The device has an applicating roller mounted in the forward portion of a housing. A tape support, rotatably mounted in the housing engages the core of the roll in an interlocking engagement and holds the axis of the core in a parallel spaced relationship to the axis of the applicating roller. Thus, the adhesive and liner are held in alignment with respect to the surface of the applicating roller. A takeup roller mounted in the housing receives and holds spent liner after the adhesive has been applied to the substrate. Means associated with the tape support transmit rotational motion from the tape support to the takeup roller so that when the tape support is rotated by unwinding the adhesive, the takeup roller is simultaneously rotated in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A flexible heat set biaxially oriented film article having in at least one portion thereof a bead type heat seal is prepared by clamping together adjacent the portion to be heat sealed, superimposed plies of a heat set, biaxially oriented polyester film, said film being characterized as having a tensile strength of at least 15,000 psi and a ratio of tensile strengths in the TD to MD direction between about 0.67 and 1.5, imposing a heat energy source to fuse in a bead type seal the superimposed film and maintaining the plies of film pressed together until the source of heat energy is retracted therefrom.

Abstract: An automatic tape dispenser for dispensing and applying dry-wall tape comprises a dispenser body mounting a roll of tape and carrying a pair of feed rollers for withdrawing tape from the roll and advancing the withdrawn tape to pass loosely and freely over pressure wheels at a forward end of the dispensing body. The feed rollers are spring biased into rolling contact, tape being both withdrawn and advanced by entrainment therebetween. The pressure wheels and one of the feed rollers are formed with gear teeth around outer peripheries thereof and are constrained to rotate in unison, being directly interconnected by an intermediate gear. Rotation of the pressure wheels while tape is being applied causes withdrawing and advancing of other portions of tape from the roll independently of tension in the applied tape, the applied tape being isolated from forces required to withdraw and advance such other portions. A tape cutter blade is disposed in guides on a handle mount and is operable by thumb pressure.